Unnamed Story: The lost Chronicles
by RaiRyuu
Summary: Uqy was a shy,kind boy. However,he wasn't much of a ninja and was bullied by his peers.As he makes his first friend, he dies.Several years later,while Sai is away Team Kakashi receives a new member,so does Akatsuki. Discover a dark hidden past of Konoha.
1. Prologue

**Note:** This story was started on the 17th of April 2007. Most of the characters, techniques, sites and names have been taken from the manga "Naruto", created by Masashi Kishimoto.

**Author's note:** This is my first FanFic, I know it's long, but I hope you enjoy it. If you have anything to say about it (criticism) I don't mind. As a matter of fact, I want to know what readers think of it. Also, if you have ideas concerning the story, or questions don't hold back.

**Chapter1: "Prologue"**

There existed nine demons that possessed great amounts of chakra. The first one had one tail, the second one two and so on. These demons were called Bijus. Some of them were sealed in bodies. The body which contained a Biju was called Jinchuuriki. Kyubi, the nine tailed demon fox, was said to be the most powerful of the nine. It was said that Kyubi could cause floods and raise mountains to the ground with a simple movement of one of its tails. One day, Kyubi attacked the ninja village of Konoha. At the time, a man known as Yondaime Hokage (Hokage the Fourth) was the leader of the village. Finally, after a long, hard battle, Yondaime was able to seal Kyubi in the belly of a new born baby; Naruto Uzumaki. The demon fox had finally been defeated, but at a high price. In addition to the countless lives that were lost, Yondaime gave up his life in order to execute the sealing technique and save his village. That day, Konoha lost its greatest warrior. Naruto whom Yondaime wished to be considered as a hero for receiving the demon was hated and rejected by everyone in the village. However, having taken an oath never to tell the truth about Kyubi and Naruto, none of the people who knew about this fact could speak of it. However, they still kept their children away from him. Naruto grew up as an orphan, alone and pushed away by all for twelve years. Later, just before becoming a genin, he discovered the truth about Kyubi and found out why he had been alone all this time.

**Main Introduction**

Konoha was a beautiful, windy village, built within a forest. Trees and plants could be seen everywhere. The ninja academy, the place where children learned how to become ninjas was built next to a big mountain. Four faces were carved into this mountain; the faces of the first and second Hokages, the founders of Konoha. Hokage the fourth and the Hokage who was in charge of the village, Hokage the third (Sandaime Hokage) also had their faces carved in the mountain. The Hokages were the strongest ninjas in the village. Moreover the Hokage was the leader of the village. Each time a Hokage retired, he had to choose a successor. Hokage the fourth was Hokage the third's successor. He died when he was still young and hadn't chosen someone to take his place. Therefore, after his death, Hokage the third retook his old position. Our story starts at Konoha's ninja academy with a little boy who was getting yelled at:

Uqy! You almost hit Naruto with that shuriken, the target's over there!" yelled Iruka angrily while pointing at a target. "I….I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to….." replied the timid Uqy. "Don't worry 'bout me teach'! A lame throw like that could never hurt me! Ha Ha Ha!" declared Naruto proudly. However, Iruka was still worried despite Naruto's "comforting" declarations. "Still…how could you have missed, this is supposed to be a piece of cake for you, considering the fact that you're in this class. Remember Uqy you'll soon be presenting your final exam to become a beginner ninja. It's the day after tomorrow. You'll have to do much better than that!" Iruka was trying to encourage and motivate Uqy. It didn't seem to be working. "O….Okay." the boy said without a change in attitude. Five minutes later the period ended and Iruka left the class. The rest of the class then turned towards Uqy and started to make fun of him. He went out of the class and began to think. In light of this terrible failure, Uqy thought he should see what he could do in a real life situation. Suddenly, as if it was meant to be, Neji Hyuga walked in front of Uqy. Neji was already a genin. Therefore, Uqy thought that if he could beat a beginner ninja passing the final exam would be child's play. Uqy blocked his way. "Something wrong?" Neji asked. "I….I'd…." said Uqy hesitantly and slightly frightened. Neji told him he didn't have time for this. To his surprise, Uqy challenged him to a fight. Neji smiled. "Are you sure? You're not even a genin and you want to fight me? You don't stand a chance." announced Neji confidently. "A headband or a rank is not what defines a ninja," was the reply he received from his opponent. By simply uttering the word "outside", Neji made it clear he had accepted the challenge.

Neji and Uqy headed outside of the academy. There was a big garden. The students usually spent the recess there or inside the classroom. News of the fight traveled quickly across the academy and students began to gather around the two fighters. Almost every student was now part of the crowd that surrounded these two. Neji inquired about Uqy's resolve; he didn't want to embarrass his in front of his peers. "B…Bring it on," said Uqy while trying to muster as much courage as possible. The fight began as soon as these words were spoken. Uqy took three shurikens in his right hand and a kunai in his left hand. Neji stayed still. Uqy charged and threw the three shurikens, but not one of them came close to the still immobile Neji. "Oh no!" he thought. Neji wasn't impressed. Uqy jumped and tried to hit Neji with his kunai. Neji ducked. He then hit Uqy with an open handed uppercut. Uqy's kunai flew away and fell on the grass as did its owner. Neji simply used the word "pathetic" as a description for his opponent's skill. Uqy hadn't expected Neji to be so strong; he had only received one hit and he was already in a lot of pain. "Are you done?" said Neji mockingly. Uqy got up and resumed his attack. He was punching and hitting Neji. However, Neji evaded or blocked all of his attacks. Uqy delivered another kick, but Neji jumped backwards and took advantage of Uqy's missed attack to counter while he had a clear shot. He hit Uqy right in the middle of his chest with a spinning back kick. Uqy was sent ten meters back and fell on his knees. Neji had anticipated this victory before the fight's beginning. He turned around and started to make his way through the crowd when he heard a voice.

"Where are you going? The fight's not over yet!" Uqy was back on his feet. The look on his face was still the same, however. Neji smiled. Neji smiled and asked why Uqy was doing what he was doing, why he was going through so much trouble. "There's no way YOU can beat me!" he announced proudly. "We'll see about that!" answered Uqy. "Very well, guess I'll just have to finish you off."

Neji took three kunais in each hand. He held each one between two fingers. Uqy tried to attack but Neji was too fast. He threw the kunais at his opponent. Uqy saw them moving towards him. He closed his eyes and waited till they hit him. It seemed like forever before he heard the kunais piercing his clothes. He felt no pain. Something was wrong. He opened his eyes and saw that they hadn't hit him, but he was stuck on a tree. Neji ran quickly towards him. He looked right in his eyes. "Just as I thought, no guts at all," said Neji while smiling. Uqy tried to free himself, but the kunais were too deep inside the tree and he wasn't strong enough to take them out. Neji punched him several times in his stomach, then he went on Uqy's right side and kicked him twice very quickly; the first kick was on his shoulder and the second one on his neck. Uqy flew away from the tree and landed on the ground. He tried to get up, but failed.

"Like I said YOU can't beat me!" were the final words that were spoken and brought forth the end of the one sided fight. Neji walked away and the students started to leave one by one laughing at Uqy.

The next day, as soon as Uqy walked into the class, everybody began to make fun of him. "Hey Uqy! I heard you got your butt kicked by some other guy! Man you must be such a loser! I would never lose a fight against anyone!" stated Naruto loudly. The period began and Iruka walked in. He had, of course, learned about what had happened. The students sat down and, as usual, Uqy sat in a dark corner, alone. The students were all looking at him and smiling. Naruto wasn't paying attention to what Iruka was saying and when Iruka asked a question he was unable to answer. Iruka snapped. "THAT'S IT! SURPRISE TEST FOR EVERYONE! Come on, get in line. You will use Henge no jutsu (transformation technique) to take my appearance!" shouted Iruka angrily. The students began to turn one by one into Iruka, but when Naruto's turn came things were a bit different. He transformed into a sickly Iruka that was fat and short. He was scolded by Iruka because everyone else had succeeded. "Okay! Okay! I get it you don't have to yell so hard!" said Naruto while putting his hands on his ears. Suddenly, Iruka exploded. He dismissed the class very loudly and punished Naruto by forcing him to stay at the academy after hours.

Later that day, Uqy left the academy and wanted to go home when he was stopped by two students in his class. One of the students who had witnessed the fight tried to provoke him. Uqy didn't answer. The first one's friend ordered him to answer the question. Uqy tried to walk away, but one of them grabbed him from behind and the other one punched him in the stomach. "WE can fight you if you want, see?" said the smirking student. The other one smiled and told him to give Uqy another punch. Uqy was going to take another punch in the stomach when the student's hand was stopped. It had been grabbed by a girl in the same class as they were. "Hey! What's the deal? Let go of me!" shouted the bully.

The other student threw Uqy on the ground and charged at the girl, but she kicked him on his chest with great speed. At the same time the first student, whose hand was still being held, tried to hit her with his other hand. She easily blocked his hit. He then hit her with a low kick, but she jumped over his leg and landed on his foot. Afterwards she hit him with her knee on his stomach and he fell to the ground. The girl threw a shuriken that came a millimeter away from the second student's neck, who had hit a tree and she took a kunai and put it at the first student's throat. Ino smiled and announced he was dead.

By that time Iruka who was with Naruto had heard all the commotion and so had some students who were going home. Iruka rushed to the scene. When he got there, he told Ino to let her opponent go. Ino obeyed gladly. Iruka gave the students a lecture about picking on other kids and gave Ino a lecture about hitting her fellow students. After the lecture was over Ino turned around to ask Uqy if he was alright, but he was gone. She tried to ask the other students if they knew where he was, but no one knew. No one cared. Uqy didn't have any friends and almost everyone made fun of him, so it was kind of obvious that no one could know where he had gone. Ino left the academy and began to look for him, but her search was in vain. She didn't really like Uqy, she didn't even know him. She just saw him in class as did everyone else. He had never been seen anywhere else. She figured he was probably at his house, but the reason she hadn't already looked there was that she didn't know where his house was. After a while she decided to head home.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Iruka were still at the academy. "Why do you always have to do things like you did in class Naruto? Because of that, you can't go home now," said Iruka. "What do I care? It's not like there's anyone waiting for me there!" replied Naruto. Iruka remained quiet for a while. He knew what Naruto was talking about: Naruto was an orphan and he had never met his parents. He didn't want to go home because that would make him remember that and he would feel lonely. Iruka knew exactly how Naruto felt, because his parents had been killed when he was nine, while fighting against Kyubi. He had done the same thing as Naruto; he always played jokes and pretended to be happy just so other people wouldn't see through him. Naruto didn't have any friends. Everybody always stayed away from him and hated him. However the reason for this was a mystery to Naruto. Iruka smiled and called Naruto. "What now? If you want to give me another lecture you know I'm just gonna fall asleep like every time," he said. Iruka laughed and told him it was that. "Pack your things," he added. Naruto asked why. Iruka told him he was going to buy him dinner.

Suddenly a huge smile appeared on Naruto's face and he packed and ran as fast as he could while Iruka was still walking. Naruto knew what Iruka was going to do; he was going to take him to "Ichiraku's" the best noodle restaurant in Konoha. Naruto never ate anything without noodles. Iruka was tall, had long brown hair that he always tied and wore the typical Konoha chuunin outfit. Iruka also had a horizontal scar across his face. Seeing that Naruto was running confused Iruka slightly. Iruka asked Naruto why he was running and told him it was still early for closing time. "Of course! I know that! But I wanna get there as early as possible because once we get there we're not leaving before closing time!" said Naruto while laughing. Iruka also laughed. "Typical Naruto" were his last words before he followed Naruto.

As Ino was headed home, she noticed a small wooden house that she had never paid attention to before. She was intrigued and her inquisitive spirit took a hold of her. She knocked on the door and waited around five minutes before she received an answer; it was Uqy. He opened the door slowly. "W…What are you doing here?" asked Uqy while hiding behind the door. Ino smiled and said: "I was just wondering if you were alright. Those guys were really rough on you." Uqy said he was fine hesitantly. "I'm Ino…" Before she could complete her sentence, Ino was interrupted by Uqy. "I know who you are. You're Ino Yamanaka," he said. "That's right! How'd you know?" she asked. "I…I just do," he answered. Ino asked about his name. "Uqy" he said. She smiled and asked him whether he was going to invite her in. At first, Uqy thought that someone was playing a prank on him. However, Ino looked sincere, but Uqy still had his doubts. He told her to come in hesitantly.

Ino came in. The house didn't just look small from the outside; it was also small on the inside. It was apparently made out of three rooms: a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. Its size wasn't weird, it was the division. There was no bedroom, not even a bed. The furniture was very simple. Ino sat down in the living room while Uqy made some tea. A few minutes later, Uqy came back with some tea and the two began to talk. Ino asked why the students had been teasing him. "You don't know?" he said surprised. "Don't know what?" she asked. Uqy told her he had challenged a genin and that he had lost terribly. He also told her that most of the students had watched. Ino tried to make him feel better by telling him there's nothing wrong with that since genins were much stronger than students. "I couldn't even hit him with my shurikens," he declared shamefully. "Well, if he was fast that's also natural," she said. Uqy told her he hadn't even moved even more ashamed than before. "Oh….I…see…" was all she could say. It was a very awkward moment. "Now you see why they were picking on me. Everybody does that, but you're the only one who ever stood up for me. W…Why'd you do that?" he asked. Ino told him she never could stand seeing someone being bullied. "Besides, they were two on you. So I just evened the odds," she added.

Ino and Uqy talked about a lot of things. Ino noticed that there was nobody except him in the house. She tried to ask him about his parents and his family a couple of times, but he changed the subject every time. They talked so much that they lost track of time, when they realized it, it was already eleven o'clock. Ino said she had to get up early the next day because she had to help her parents at the shop. "Oh…A…Are your parents going to punish you?" he asked sadly. Ino walked out, without answering the question and as soon as she did it started to rain heavily. Uqy accompanied her outside. "You really don't need to get out and stand in the rain for me," she said. "It's okay. It's just rain," replied Uqy. Ino was a little angered because they were going to get all wet. "It's just rain," he said simply. Uqy just stood there in the rain. He really didn't seem to mind. Ino walked away. Uqy waited until she was out of sight and said two words sadly: "thank you". He then ran quickly to his house and went to the basement.

Two hours later: It was still raining heavily. The little boy was sitting all alone on a chair in an empty room, weeping. He was holding a picture, he and two ninjas wearing the full ninja gear were in it. They were all smiling. They were his parents. The investigations had been halted and everyone had forgotten them. They were no more than a mere memory, carved, in the boy's mind and heart. He had tried to become stronger and tougher, but in vain. Today had been one of the best days of his life. He had made a friend, not just anyone: Ino. Suddenly, he felt a cold chill running down his spine. He turned around and saw six kunais headed towards him. He knew they had finally come for him, after so long. He closed his eyes then opened them quickly and he screamed out of anger. He tried to jump in order to evade the attack, but it was already too late; it was over.

Later that night, two ANBU units had been deployed at the crime scene. They had already begun looking for clues, but had found nothing. Three Jounins had just arrived. One of them was reading a book; "make out paradise". It was Kakashi. He asked what had happened there. "Murder. Follow me to the basement," said the first ANBU member. As they reached the basement, they saw ANBU members searching for any kind of clue that could lead them to the killer. The leader told the three to look towards the other end of the basement. There was a body, mutilated in the most disgusting and atrocious ways. It had been decapitated and the head was missing. It had one kunai in each leg and hand, one in its heart and another one in the stomach. Kurenai was disgusted and asked what kind of person would do something like that. Asuma who was more accustomed to these things plainly said: "Plenty of psychos out there…"

"Any idea on who could've done this and why?" inquired Kakashi. He received a negative answer from the ANBU leader. However, he told Kakashi that they knew Uqy was being targeted. "Targeted?" asked the intrigued Kakashi. Kurenai was checking Uqy's files, his grades, activities… "I don't understand why any one would want to target him; there's nothing interesting in here," she said while looking in the files for something important that wasn't there. "That's because that's his new file," declared the leader. "New file? What do you mean?" asked Asuma. "He's the kid from the Dragon Clan," was the answer he received. "What?! That was him?!" asked the stunned Kakashi. Asuma who was also stunned said: "I can't believe they got to him after all these years!" Kurenai asked what they were talking about; she had never heard of the Dragon Clan. "That's because it became very small after the great wars; there have only been four members of the Dragon Clan in Konoha for the past fifteen years. However, this clan possessed powerful secret techniques and its members were highly skilled," explained Asuma. "You said four, but he's the only one here. Where are his parents, his family?" she asked. "You want to know about his family? Very well. He had an older brother, he was assumed to be dead during the fight with Kyubi twelve years ago," was the answer the leader gave her. "Assumed to be dead?" Kurenai asked carefully. "Yes. His body was never found, but he was one of the ninjas who were right at the front lines. In other words, he was practically face to face with Kyubi. He was very strong, a prodigy, an elite ninja. But he was barely eleven years old. He couldn't have survived. His parents, however, never gave up hope and always believed he was still alive…to the very end," said the leader. "To the very end?" she asked. "Yes. You see, when Uqy was five, his parents were murdered…right in front of him," declared the leader.

Kurenai was shocked by the information she had newly received. The leader stated they didn't know who had committed the crime; it was one of Konoha's few unsolved crimes. There was still something Kurenai hadn't understood; if he was a member of such a great clan, he should've been pretty strong. However, the files she held showed that his grades were slightly below average. "I wouldn't blame him, after what he went through," said Asuma without providing further information on the matter thus forcing Kurenai to ask what he was talking about. The ANBU leader explained: "Like I said, his parents were killed right in front of him. How do you think a five year old is going to take seeing his parents being killed right in front of him? But that's not all…The killers wanted to kill him too, but they weren't going to waste any chakra on him. So they attacked him with their weapons: that night Uqy was pierced by ninety three shurikens…" "Yet he survived," said Kakashi. "When we got there, he was still alive. He was covered in blood and could barely move. He stayed in the hospital for three months, but he survived," he added. "Wait a minute. "We" got there?" Kurenai asked.

Kakashi told her he had been leading the rescue team back then. "Kakashi's the one who found and saved the little boy's life. A minute later and he would've died," said Asuma. She asked them how he had survived. "Whether the killers spared him on purpose or whether he prevented them from hitting his vital points, I have no idea," said the leader. "Why would they let him live?" she asked. "A good question. But so is this one; how could he have been able to keep every one of his vital points intact with ninety three shurikens coming from every side around him?" answered the leader. Asuma asked whether they had found some kind of evidence. The answer was negative.

Kakashi spotted something else next to the body. It was a picture, smeared with blood and water. He looked around, but saw no leak, no glass and no possible source of water. He noticed there were some traces of water on the floor next to the body. He put some on his finger and smelled it. It was salty. "He was crying," announced Kakashi sadly. "W…What?" was the question Kurenai asked. "This water is salty, there's no leak and no source of water. Even if there was one or if it was tap water, it wouldn't be salty, rainwater isn't salty either. So there can only be one answer: he was crying, while holding this picture," explained Kakashi. "Kurenai, what does the file say about his social life? Does he have any friends?" he asked her. "Not a single one," she said sadly. "In other words, no one's gonna miss him… Just makes our job, keeping his death a secret, easier…" added Asuma sadly. "Yeah…" said Kakashi sadly.

**End of Prologue**


	2. Mysterious Newcomer

**Chapter2: "Mysterious Newcomer"**

It was a beautiful afternoon in Konoha. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi had just returned from their last mission and were headed back to the Hokage's mansion to announce their mission's success. They were standing right in front of the village's large gates. The quiet area's silence was broken by Sakura who said: "Boy! It's good to be back!" "Yeah! But it sure has been weird doing all those missions without Sai! What did he have to do again?" Naruto asked. Kakashi told him Sai had been sent to Sunagakure (the hidden sand village) to help them gather information about Akatsuki in the area. "If he can find some information!! We haven't heard anything concerning Akatsuki since our fight against the ones who killed Asuma sensei," she said,

"Let's not trouble our heads with that now. We should just head back and see what our next orders are," said Kakashi. "I hope we get to rest for a while! Missions have been dropping like rain and not a single one has anything to do with Sasuke!!" declared the irritated Naruto.

As the three crossed the gates, a boy was crouching on a high tree's branch on a hill that overlooked Konoha. He was concealed by the tree's shadow. He was about Naruto's age. The boy wore black socks, black pants, a black short sleeved shirt with a black long sleeved shirt underneath, a long, black scarf and a long, black headband. His scarf was wrapped around his neck and concealed half his face completely; the part from his neck to his nose was totally veiled and could not be seen, just like Kakashi's face. As for his headband, it wasn't a forehead protector. It was a regular headband with no metal plate on it. However, it did have Konoha's symbol painted on it in dark green. Moreover, the boy had a ninja sword on his back. Its sheath, handle and blade were all black. He had light blue eyes and brown hair that reached his neck's lower part. In addition, the boy had a shuriken and kunai holder on his left knee. What was weird, however, was that it only contained one kunai and one shuriken. Finally, the boy's arms and hands were wrapped around in black bandages. The boy also had an unusual look in his eyes; it seemed deprived of emotions except for a small hint of sadness.

"It's been a long time since I've been in Konoha… Except for the face carved next to the other ones it hasn't changed much…for me at least. You've been away far longer than me. Isn't that right…brother?" said the mysterious boy coolly. He received no answer. In fact there was no one around to respond. The face he was talking about was Tsunade's. After becoming the fifth Hokage, her face had been added to the mountain that already had the four previous Hokages' faces carved in it. "Guess I should get going and see what's become of this village…" he said calmly.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's mansion, Kakashi was reporting along with his team. "…And that's about everything I have to say," he concluded. "Good job Team Kakashi!! Next: Your mission consists of…" Before she could finish her sentence, Tsunade was rudely interrupted by Naruto. "Ah!! Come on!! Can't you see we're beat already?! I've had enough of these stupid missions and…" The angry Naruto was also interrupted; he was suddenly punched by Sakura on the head.

"Shut up dummy!!" she told him angrily. "He he… He doesn't mean it… You know Naruto…And umm…" Sakura who was slightly frightened was trying to calm Tsunade. "It's fine Sakura. Naruto may be right. Alright, I'll give you a couple of days off. Maybe I have been working you guys too hard." "YES!!! YES!!! Now I can go eat some ramen (noodles) at Ichiraku's!! I wonder what I should order. Last time, I ordered ramen with…" Naruto was jumping around while he shouted. "There we go. As soon as she gives us a break, the only thing he thinks about is eating. And I know how it'll end; he'll want the whole team to come and I'll get stuck with the check," thought Kakashi while Naruto enumerated his past orders. Upon hearing "Kakashi sensei?" coming out of Naruto's mouth, "oh man!!" was the first thing Kakashi said to himself. "How 'bout we all go there now?" suggested the predictable Naruto. Sakura smiled, agreed and announced it was a good idea. "Umm…Oh…No…I can't…I…Just remembered I have something to do…So unfortunately, I can't go. Why don't you and Sakura go without me, okay?" Kakashi was trying to save himself as hard as he could. Suddenly, Naruto had an idea that made him even happier. He thought he and Sakura could go out on a date. That was his chance to make up for the time he had blown it after Team Kakashi was formed. However, Sakura did not share his enthusiasm. She looked at Kakashi angrily. However, she smiled shortly after which meant no good for Kakashi. She told Naruto it was a great idea. Naruto and Kakashi were both surprised and confused. They couldn't believe it. "I also think it would be good for our teamwork; we'll get to talk and have fun. What do you think Kakashi sensei?" she added. In order to save himself, Kakashi agreed without thinking. Sakura told him innocently that they couldn't do that without the sensei they respected and looked up to. "Damn! She got me!" he thought. He told her he could postpone the "thing" he had for later. "That's what I thought," she said calmly. However, her thoughts were far from cool; "YEAH!! I'M UNBEATABLE!!" was the first thing that crossed her mind after the success of her plan. Naruto was disappointed, but the ramen would be enough to cheer him up.

The three headed for Ichiraku's. As they left, a messenger bird arrived at Tsunade's window. Something was not right; usually messenger birds had Konoha's birdhouse, where the village's birds were fed and taken care of as their destination. It was also from the birdhouse that the messages were sent. Tsunade walked up to the bird and took the message. Something else was wrong; there was no seal on the message, which meant that it could be opened by anyone, and had no crest on it, which meant it wasn't a village that had sent it. She opened the folded paper and began to read. Suddenly, Tsunade called for her assistant Shizune, who rushed in, worried. She asked what was wrong, but Tsunade ordered her to call an ANBU unit quickly and left her question unanswered. "It…It can't be! I must be careful; it could be a trap," she thought. Meanwhile, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were still walking. Naruto asked Kakashi when he was going to teach him a new technique. It had been a long time since he had learned one. "Well, we'll just have to see. Besides, you may even be stronger than I am! And you know…" Suddenly, Kakashi had a strange feeling and stopped. Naruto and Sakura looked at him, intrigued. Sakura asked what was wrong. Kakashi looked at her, smiled and said it was nothing. "I guess Naruto was right and I am tired like him," he said. A huge smile appeared on Naruto's face and he began to show off. "Ha! You see!! I'm always right! It's because I can sense things!" he said. Kakashi wondered what it was that he had sensed. He resumed his walk, but looked around and saw nothing. Unknown to the three, they were being followed; it was the mysterious boy. He was well concealed. As he spotted Naruto, he left the shadows that had covered him.

"Uzumaki….Naruto…." he thought. "You can sense things?" Sakura asked sarcastically. "Yeah! I can sense danger and stuff… That's why I'm never caught off guard!" he replied proudly. Suddenly, Kakashi pushed Naruto and Sakura aside while turning. He performed several seals and performed a Katon technique; Gokakyu no jutsu. Kakashi unleashed a great fireball on his target. When the smoke faded, there was no one there. The boy had disappeared. He was hiding behind a building. He sensed something, turned around and saw a kunai headed towards him. He jumped to the back and moved his head to the left. The kunai went past him, but he had been forced to leave his hiding place and was now right in front of Naruto and Sakura who were arguing and had therefore failed to notice his presence. Sakura stood up while removing the dust and dirt from her clothes. "Sense things"! Yeah right! The only thing you'll be "sensing" is my fist…" Sakura was interrupted by Naruto who apologized many times. Kakashi told them to be careful. Naruto did not realize what his sensei was talking about right away. "He evaded both of my surprise attacks. This guy's good," he told them. Kakashi said he wasn't going to let him get away, not before he answered some questions. The boy looked up, ignoring Kakashi's words. "Late…As usual…" he thought.

Kakashi threw four shurikens and a kunai at the boy. He didn't move and didn't seem to be worried. The weapons were about to hit him, when they were pushed away by a shuriken each. Kakashi was surprised and wondered who had helped the boy. He received an answer when the boy was surrounded by four ANBU members. They had pushed Kakashi's weapons away. The first one told Kakashi to stand down. He asked what was going on. The second one told him they had strict orders from Godaime (Hokage the fifth, Tsunade) to escort the boy to her office. The boy looked at Kakashi. He knew who he was. The leader of the squad ordered to others to move. The four set off accompanied by the boy. They were out of sight shortly, but Kakashi was still worried about the boy. "What was that all about?" Sakura asked. Naruto asked about the boy. Kakashi told them he didn't know and that they shouldn't stress on the matter. The best thing to do was to resume what they were doing. Naruto's smile reappeared. They continued their walk to Ichiraku's.

In the meantime, the ANBU unit had escorted the boy to the Hokage's mansion. He and the squad leader entered Tsunade's office. Tsunade was sitting on her chair, doing some paperwork and Shizune was standing next to her. "Mission accomplished," the leader said. Tsunade looked up and saw the two standing in front of her. She ordered Shizune to leave them. Shizune tried to argue, but Tsunade said she had something private to discuss with the two. Although Shizune was worried, she did as she was told. She looked down and left the office. She tried to eavesdrop on their conversation, but was unable to hear anything save a couple of sentences. The first one was Tsunade saying "what?" surprised and stunned. The second one was The ANBU squad leader saying "very well" and the last one was the boy saying "…on one condition; I want to be on Uzumaki…Naruto's team". She tried to hear more of the conversation because what she had heard had worried her even more, but failed.


	3. New member in Team Kakashi!

**Chapter3: "New member in Team Kakashi?!"**

The next day, Naruto was woken up early in the morning by someone knocking on his door, loudly. He left his bed, half asleep, and headed for the door while still wearing his pajamas. He opened the door and saw Sakura. He asked what she was doing here; it was very early and Tsunade had given them the day off. "Think again," she said, "She just summoned us and said it's something very important." Naruto was angered and began to curse Tsunade. Sakura tried to stop him several times, but he wouldn't listen. Eventually, he asked her what she wanted. He was still angry. "You do realize you're standing in front of me in your pajamas don't you?" she said. Naruto looked at his clothes and became aware that Sakura was right. He looked at Sakura and told her he'd be right back. He put his clothes on and the two left. Naruto complained the whole way which really annoyed Sakura. When they reached Tsunade's office, Kakashi was already there. "Kakashi sensei? You're here early. That's not like you," said Sakura. Kakashi justified his early presence by telling them Godaime had said she had summoned them for an important reason. Naruto was still enraged began to scream because they were supposed to have the day off. Tsunade agreed. He went on and said she had told them she wouldn't give them any missions. Tsunade agreed. Naruto stopped, looked at her. He was confused. Sakura asked why she had summoned them. "Right. I'll get straight to the point. Come in," said Tsunade. The door opened and someone stepped in: it was the boy from the previous day. "Hey!! That's…" Tsunade didn't allow Naruto to complete his sentence. Instead she introduced the boy to the others. "This is Ryu. He's a year younger than you guys and has just been promoted to the rank of genin," she said. "Him?! A genin?! That's impossible!! He evaded two of my attacks easily and… That murderous drive I sensed… He was the source! There's no way I'm gonna buy the fact that he's a new genin," Kakashi thought his mind filled with concern. Naruto hadn't understood what Ryu had to do with them. Tsunade smiled and said: "While Sai is away, Ryu will be the fourth member of Team Kakashi!" Naruto and Sakura were both surprised. They tried to talk Tsunade out of it, but it was pointless. She wouldn't change her decision. Naruto wasn't satisfied and wanted to complain. Kakashi stopped him. Tsunade must've had a good reason for putting him on the team. Kakashi wondered what those reasons were. Since he was now a temporary member of the team, his participation during missions was required. Tsunade "proposed" they should also spend some time together in order to get to know one another. "Now you're just going overboard…I don't need those guys hanging around me all the time…" Ryu thought. Naruto was still stunned. However, he found no argument other than the fact that Ryu wasn't wearing a forehead protector. Ryu looked at Tsunade.

He left the office while shaking his head. Tsunade dismissed the others. However, before they left, she asked them to hang out with him and introduce him to the others. Naruto wasn't pleased at all. He said he'd rather face all of Akatsuki's members than do what she asked of him. "Oh don't say that! I'm sure you two have a lot more in common than you think," said Tsunade. Sakura asked Naruto why he was against fulfilling Tsunade's request. He said he knew Ryu's type and he didn't like people like him. Sakura didn't understand. The three left the office and found Ryu waiting at the other end of the long, circular hall. Kakashi told the two to be friendly.

Sakura walked up to him, smiling. She was introducing herself when he said he didn't care. Ryu left the Hokage's mansion without letting her finish the sentence she had started. Sakura was angered. "I knew it!! What a jerk! I can't stand people like him!" shouted Naruto. "Why does every time we add a member have to be like this?" thought Kakashi. They followed Ryu who was already way ahead of them. Kakashi appeared in front him. "Now then, you don't seem like a team guy, but I guess you're stuck with us. So you can't do what you just did with Sakura. You could get killed you know." Kakashi whispered this in Ryu's ear. "She could try…" replied Ryu. Kakashi told him that unlike the children, he also knew he was no genin, but he shouldn't underestimate them.

As Naruto and Sakura joined them, Kakashi offered to buy them some ramen. Naruto was thrilled, of course. Once there, only Naruto and Sakura ordered something. Kakashi tried to get a conversation between the three started. He asked about Ryu's name. "She already told you…" he replied calmly. "Yeah, yeah! She told us your name is Ryu, but what's your whole name?" asked Naruto. Ryu looked down, as if something was wrong. However, two seconds later, he looked at them again. "Just…Ryu…" he said. Naruto wrapped some of his ramen around his chopsticks and put them in his mouth. However, they were still too hot. He stood up and began to scream in pain. A few minutes later, he cooled down and sat down again. Ryu looked at him and seemed annoyed. "You call yourself a ninja? Can't even handle a little heat?" Naruto was angered by Ryu's provocation and declared he'd beat the crap out of him. He tried to attack Ryu, but Sakura held him back. "I don't think you should be making fun of Naruto. He's already proved that he's a good ninja, but what about you?" Sakura wondered what Kakashi was talking about. "Looking at your gear, I'd say you really don't know what you're doing," he continued. Naruto agreed with zeal though he didn't know what Kakashi was talking about. "For starters, you use that scarf to cover your face. However, it is made out of a special fabric that makes it harder for you to breathe normally. So, when performing an exercise, or an effort, you'll get exhausted quickly which will probably get you killed in a mission. Moreover, I noticed that you only carry one shuriken and one kunai. You have no metal strings, no explosive notes and no other kind of equipment. Also, you're not wearing any shoes, which make wounding you to slow you down particularly easy for your enemies by throwing items on the ground to wound your feet. From the looks of it, the sword you carry is also pretty heavy, making it harder for you to move. I don't think there's anything special about it, so it can be replaced with a much lighter one. Finally, techniques with ninja swords require a high level of skill and talent, one which I don't think a… "genin" like you can master." When Kakashi was finished, both Naruto and Sakura were impressed. Kakashi had barely looked at Ryu and already he had found every single flaw in his equipment.

Ryu stood up and left the ramen shop. "If you can't take a little criticism, you shouldn't criticize other people," said Kakashi. Naruto smiled and agreed once more with his sensei. However, Sakura thought that he shouldn't have made him mad. Contrarily, according to Naruto, he deserved it. "Impressive. I can see why you are renowned amongst shinobis; it's not just your sharingan…" those were the thought that ran through Ryu's mind as he left the ramen shop. A week passed and some relatively simple missions were assigned to Team Kakashi, during which Ryu didn't excel. He didn't do a bad job either. However, he and his team were still not getting along, especially Naruto and him. Then one day, Team Kakashi was summoned by Tsunade. As usual, Naruto was complaining because he was sure it would be another boring mission. "Missions are missions, idiot. The easy ones are as important as the difficult ones. Without them, the village's economy would crumble." That was Ryu's opinion. "That's just a load of crap if you ask me!!" That was Naruto's opinion. Tsunade commanded them to stop. She said it was something serious. Sakura asked her to explain. Tsunade told them it was an A-rank mission. Naruto was thrilled. Tsunade told him this mission concerned him the most; it was about Akatsuki. "Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. According to Konoha's sources, there had been some strange activity in the Country of Fire. (where Konoha is located) "Strange activity?" Kakashi inquired. "People have been moving around, asking about a Konoha ninja…" replied Tsunade. "A Konoha ninja? What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"She means me!!" said Naruto angrily. Naruto was correct. Tsunade was sending their team to investigate. However, she told them not to engage in case they encountered an enemy unless they were sure of the enemy's capabilities because she didn't want any unnecessary casualties. "Yeah, yeah. We won't attack unless we know we can beat them," said Naruto just to get her off his back. "That's not for you to decide. Unless Kakashi gives the order, you don't deliver a single punch got it?" declared Tsunade with a slight hint of anger on her face. "Sure. You know how obedient I am," said the smiling Naruto. "Yeah, I know. And that's exactly why I'm making things clear," Tsunade replied. Sakura asked whether they should explain the whole Akatsuki matter to Ryu. There was no time. They had to leave right away. They were about to move out when Tsunade stopped them. "Oh and one more thing," she said, "For this mission, I've added someone else to help you."

The office's door opened. Team Kakashi looked at the person who had entered and saw a familiar face; Ino. "You?" Sakura asked with astonishment. "Yeah, I'll be coming with you on this mission," replied Ino who smiled. "Yamanaka…Ino… So you still don't trust me, Godaime…" thought Ryu. Kakashi suggested they should go. Naruto agreed confidently and announced they'd be back in no time. As soon as the five left the office, two ninjas used the window as their entry point; Jiraya and the ANBU squad leader who had escorted Ryu.

"Jiraya, Kenshin, what are you doing here?" she asked. "I was just wondering who that new kid was; he's no genin. Kenshin refused to tell me," answered Jiraya. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you. Kenshin and I are the only ones who know. And for now, things will remain the same," said Tsunade. "A five man team? That's not like you Tsunade sama. I see you still don't trust him despite the accuracy and the truth in the information he gave us." Kenshin had guessed right. Tsunade's next sentence would prove it: "Something's still not right. The possibility that it's a trap should not be excluded." At first, Kenshin though she was talking about Orochimaru. However, Tsunade had something else on her mind. "No, Orochimaru couldn't have known all these things. However, if I am right than we are dealing with something more dangerous. There is one who is not in the village who could have gotten a hold on the information…" she said. Kenshin quickly understood where Tsunade was going with this.

"Uchiha Itachi," he said simply. "Yes, he was in ANBU. And don't forget he was a genius. We're not sure whether he knows about this or not. But the fact that he requested to be with Naruto is what worries me. Other than being a spy for Akatsuki, this kid has no reason to make such a request," Tsunade replied. Jiraya's opinion was that she should've warned the others just in case since this was a serious issue. "If our sources are correct and they do encounter the enemy, the last thing we need is spreading distrust and doubt within their ranks. We'll just have to wait and see," Tsunade answered.


	4. Akatsuki?

**Chapter4: "Akatsuki?"**

Team Kakashi, accompanied by Ino, left the village and set out to their designated destination. Kakashi noticed that Ryu had an equipment bag on his lower back, like Naruto and almost every other ninja had, including him. However, this was the first mission Ryu had taken one with him. Sakura asked Ino the reason for her coming along; it was the first time they had a fifth member. Ino didn't know. Godaime had ordered her to go with them because she claimed it was a difficult mission. "What I don't understand is why she picked you! She could've at least sent someone useful like Neji or Shikamaru!" Naruto was of course the one who had made such a careless declaration. He had not thought about Ino's terrible wrath. She looked at him angrily and was about to rebuke him when she was interrupted by Ryu. " Every ninja is unique. You have no right judge them. Besides, just because she doesn't have the Byakugan, doesn't mean she's useless," he said. Naruto wanted to know how Ryu knew Neji had the Byakugan, but Ryu said it was none of his business.

As they walked, Ino slowed her pace down and insinuated that Sakura should do the same, without letting the boys notice. "Who's he? I thought Sai was replacing Sasuke," she asked while pointing at Ryu. Sakura explained why Sai was absent. "Meanwhile we're stuck with this guy. He's still a genin!" she added. Unlike her and Naruto, Ino was impressed; she saw things from another perspective. "Wow!! A genin and he's already on your team?! He must be really strong!" she said. Sakura had never thought about it like that. However, she had proof that Ino was wrong because she had witnessed his performance during relatively simple missions and there was nothing impressive about him. Although their voices were low, they were unaware that Ryu was hearing everything they were saying. A couple of hours after sunset, on the second day of their journey, the five stopped. They had entered a large forest. A short while after entering the large, green forest, Kakashi announced they were going to take a break. Naruto began to complain and said they weren't tired. Kakashi clarified why they needed to take a break. "Naruto, according to the information we've been given our target is staying somewhere nearby in this forest. We can't afford to encounter them without being at full strength. Remember, this is Akatsuki we're dealing with," he said.

While the children rested, Kakashi went to search Ryu's equipment bag. What he found was highly unusual; no weapons, just several bottles filled with a strange liquid that looked like water. One had already been emptied. Kakashi concluded Ryu had consumed the liquid as soon as they had taken the break. He took one and put it in his equipment bag. "I'll have this analyzed as soon as we get back. For now I should rest too," he thought.

An hour later, Kakashi felt something disturbing. He alerted the others quietly who were also worried since he had interrupted their rest. Sakura asked her sensei what was wrong. "I don't think we'll have to look for our target much longer," he said. Ino asked what made him think that searching wasn't needed. "They're coming to us," Ryu said with his calm usual tone. "Can't you sense someone approaching?" Kakashi asked. Naruto sensed that they were nearby. "They must be taking us for amateurs; they didn't even bother to conceal their presence," he said somewhat annoyed by the fact that he was being underestimated, but he was also happy because it would grant him an advantage in battle. :This is good. I don't think they've noticed us. They must be just passing by. We can ambush them now. Alright, this is what we'll do…" Kakashi explained.

As the five discussed their plan, the enemy closed in. When they reached the place where the team had rested, it was already empty. However, Team Kakashi was watching them. There were three ninjas; two adults and a child about Naruto's age. The three were wearing Konoha chuunin outfits. However, the teenager had a mask that concealed the person's whole face except for the eyes and long black ponytail. In this case the one whose face was concealed had brown eyes. One of them, Hideki, was holding a sword. He had short black hair, black eyes and had a scar on his left cheek. Yagami had short brown hair and brown eyes. "Great! With these outfits, infiltrating Konoha will be a walk in the park!" announced Hideki. Yagami agreed. However, he warned his companions not to drop their guard. As soon as we get the Jinchuuriki we'll get out of there," he added "Great! They've got their guard down. Now is the perfect time to ambush them," was what Kakashi had whispered to the others.

Suddenly, kunais and shurikens began to fall on the three from every side. Hideki looked up, unimpressed. "They must take us for imbeciles. Let's gather," he said. The three remained close to one another. The weapons were about to hit them, when Yagami gave the signal to defend by saying "now!" The teenager performed several seals. The sequence seemed very familiar to Ryu who was surprised. "Doton! Dragon's Skin technique!" said the teenager. Suddenly, the three were surrounded by a semi sphere of sand that protected them from every weapon. Even the kunais equipped with explosive cards had no effect on the technique. "It can't be…" Ryu thought as he realized what technique had been used. The sand sphere fell apart after the attack stopped. "Show yourselves!!" Hideki shouted. "I guess we won't be doing this the easy way. Let's go," said Kakashi.

The five revealed themselves. "Ah, Konoha ninjas. It seems they were aware of our movements after all," said Hideki with a smile on his face. "It seems you've highly underestimated us," Kakashi replied. "Long time no see… Ryu," were the teenager's words as she looked at Ryu. "You're…" Ryu replied without continuing. "You don't remember? Let me refresh your memory," she said. Before she had the chance to remind him, Ryu replied with one word: "Kasumi." Naruto asked whether he knew her. "It doesn't matter. Let's just get this over with," he answered, leaving Naruto's question unreciprocated. "We'll handle them. You stay back; you're still a genin," Sakura said to Ryu. "A genin? Wow! You've been promoted!" said Kasumi mockingly. Hideki ordered her to stop; their task was to get the Jinchuuriki. Kasumi obeyed. Using Kage Bunshin no jutsu, ten clones of Naruto appeared. The three quickly realized that they weren't simple illusions like normal clones, they were real. "Let's go!!" shouted Naruto to his clones. However, Kakashi told him not to be hasty.

Kakashi's remark was too late; Naruto had already sent out his clones. They all attacked Hideki who ordered his companions to stay back. Two of the clones jumped and tried to punch him, two ran to his right, two to his left, two attacked from the back and two from the front. "Pathetic," said Hideki while forming seals. Before the clones could reach him, he used Katon, Housenka no jutsu. He turned three hundred and sixty degrees round while sending several flames. The clones were all instantly defeated. Kakashi was a little impressed. "Naruto! We aren't dealing with easy targets here! Don't do anything reckless! Ryu! Ino! Take the one with the sword! Naruto! Sakura! Take the girl!" he said, "As for you, I'll take you on since you seem to be the leader," he continued.

The fight had begun. Ino took two kunais and threw them at Hideki who blocked with his sword easily. However, Ryu was in the air behind him and had a clear shot. He was about to punch him when Hideki turned around and threw five shurikens towards him. Ryu, who was in the air and could not move or duck, used his hands to block. However, to everyone's surprise, he was not wounded. He had managed to hold each of the shurikens between two of his finger and threw them back at his opponent. The five shurikens hit Hideki right in the head. "We got 'em!!" thought Ino happily. However, Ryu had not lowered his guard. The corpse quickly turned to a log. Ino quickly realized it was Kawarimi no jutsu. Suddenly, Ryu told her to move. She didn't react swiftly enough, forcing Ryu to make her. Ryu jumped on Ino and they both fell on the ground. However, Ryu's shoulder had slightly been cut. Hideki looked at his sword. He noticed there was no blood on the sword despite the fact that he had definitely hit Ryu. "Weird," he thought. The two stood up to face their opponent.

Meanwhile, Naruto had generated twenty clones to attack Kasumi. They all charged at the same time. Kasumi stood on her hands, and began to turn, kicking the first five clones away. She then used her hands to eject herself on the sixth clone. Her feet first hit the clone that disappeared, then the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she threw eight shurikens on the clones. Only six remained. "You're pretty weak," she said. Although every clone had been defeated, Naruto and Sakura were smiling. "Should we start?" he asked. "Sure," she replied. Five clones attacked and one stayed behind. Kasumi tripped the first one. The four others had surrounded her. One of them tried to punch Kasumi. She ducked. "Now!!!" shouted Sakura. Using her great power, Sakura punched the ground, which began to shatter in a straight line. Kasumi was about to fall prey to Sakura's attack when she jumped in the air. The attack had defeated the clones, but that didn't matter. "Your attack has failed," she said. "I don't think so," Sakura replied.

Suddenly, Kasumi looked behind her and saw Naruto and his clone. Naruto had a perfect blue sphere in the palm of his hand; Rasengan. An orb made out of pure chakra. Kasumi was about to get hit by Naruto's attack when she performed several seals. "Doton! Doryuu Eki!" she said. An extremely hard wall of solid rock rose in front of Kasumi. She managed to evade Naruto's attack. However, the Rasengan had breached her defense. She was impressed. "He managed to break my shield. I'd better watch out for that technique. Plus, those two aren't that weak. They managed to come up with an almost flawless strategy quite quickly. I underestimated them," she thought.

Kakashi and Yagami simultaneously threw a kunai at one another. The weapons collided and both attacks were nullified. Kakashi and Yagami both charged. Kakashi jumped into the air and was about to hit his opponent when he was kicked in the stomach. However, it was a clone. "Kage bunshin," Yagami thought. Yagami looked around, but Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly he felt an attack coming and jumped into the air. Kakashi's hand had emerged from the ground. While in the air, Yagami grabbed it, and pulled Kakashi out of the ground then delivered an open handed punch to his chest. Kakashi flew away and landed on his feet. "These guys are strong. But I don't think I'll have to use the Sharingan against them," Kakashi thought. That hit he had received was to test his opponent. In other words, he had intentionally allowed his opponent to hit him.

Ryu resumed his fierce attack on Hideki. Hideki was evading or blocking Ryu's hits, but he was being pushed back. When his back hit a tree, he used Housenka no jutsu again. Ryu withdrew and wasn't hit. At the same time, Ino threw a kunai with an explosive note. Hideki ducked and wasn't hit by the kunai. However, the explosion had surely affected him. Hideki had used another Kawarimi no jutsu in order to save himself. He was nowhere to be seen. Ryu quickly jumped into the air. As Hideki went out of the ground, he was quickly kicked on the face by Ryu who had somehow anticipated that move. "Nice!!" Ino thought. Hideki wondered how Ryu had been able to anticipate his move even though he had concealed himself underground.

Kasumi who had defeated more clones, looked towards Hideki. "That's right. I had forgotten about your sense of smell," she said. Five clones charged at her. She defeated them easily then performed several seals. "Ninpo, secret technique! The bloody fog!!" she said. Suddenly, a red fog began to form. However, it didn't totally cloud one's visibility. "What the hell?! This fog's red and it smells like blood." Naruto didn't know what was going on. Kakashi had already figured it out. "Not bad. Not only does the fog lessen one's visibility, it also completely neutralizes one's sense of smell. My ninja dogs will be useless in this battle," he thought. Yagami attacked again with several shurikens. Kakashi evaded and managed to kick him in the stomach. Before he had the chance to recover, Yagami was hit once more by Kakashi. He fell on the ground roughly. "Pretty strong…" said the struggling Yagami.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura were still unable to land a hit on Kasumi. Naruto had sent many clones, but in vain. On the bright side, they hadn't received any hits either. Ino jumped and kicked Hideki who blocked with both his hands. As soon as Ino was pushed away, Ryu attacked Hideki's lower side. He was also able to block, but it was only a matter of time before he received a hit. "They're too weak. If they keep fooling around, we're bound to lose and they'll get killed. I can't deal with the five alone," Kasumi thought.

Suddenly, Hideki and Yagami were both hit simultaneously; Yagami had received several shurikens in his upper body, but none of his vitals had been hit, while Hideki had been tripped by Ryu and kicked in the face by Ino. Hideki recovered slowly. "Being beaten by kids? This is getting annoying. Guess I should end it," Hideki said. Hideki slowly submerged himself beneath the ground. Ryu quickly noticed that the stench of blood was way too strong, rendering him unable to distinguish any other scent.

Sakura and Naruto were still double-teaming Kasumi. Naruto threw two shurikens, that Kasumi avoided by moving her upper body to the right. She quickly received a punch from Sakura. However, Kasumi ducked and rotated quickly, positioning herself behind Sakura. The tree that had stood behind her was broken in two by Sakura's punch. As Kasumi was about to punch Sakura, she noticed that Naruto, accompanied by two clones, was coming at her from behind. Kasumi hit the first one with her left elbow and punched the second one with her left palm. Naruto kicked her, but she grabbed his foot, jumped over it and kicked Naruto on the face. Sakura was already attacking her again. She tried to punch her again with her right hand. Kasumi ducked slightly, sidestepped to her left, pushed Sakura's hand away with her right hand and punched her in the face with her left one. Kasumi's movements were impressively fast. Like Naruto, Sakura ended up on the ground.

In the meantime, Hideki was still hiding. Ryu wondered where he was. Ryu closed his eyes and began to focus. When he located Hideki's underground position it was already too late. Hideki emerged behind Ino. She turned around quickly, but too slow. Hideki already stood behind her once more. However, this time he had blood on his sword and Ino a deep wound in her stomach. The ground around her was already filled with blood. Hideki laughed and said "One down."


	5. Ino's Death?

**Chapter5: "Ino's Death?!"**

Ino collapsed. Before she hit the ground, Hideki grabbed her by her hair and lifted her into the air. Although Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura could still see through the fog, it didn't allow them to perceive what had taken place. In other words, it was as if the three fights were isolated from one another. As the fog was clearing, Kakashi was about to deliver the finishing blow, Naruto and Sakura had found themselves on the ground once more due to another unsuccessful assault. However, the three halted their attack as they saw the wounded Ino, carried by Hideki. Ryu was nearby, but trying to attack was too risky; it would have definitely led to Ino's death. During that moment, Yagami was unable to attack the surprised Kakashi, because of his many wounds. As for Kasumi, she had stopped for some reason even though attacking Naruto and Sakura was easier since they were also preoccupied. Hideki smiled. Suddenly, he tossed Ino towards a tree.

The impact between her and the tree was dangerous; it would cause more injuries and fractures. Ryu jumped quickly and caught her. He put her on his right shoulder as fast as he could. However, it was the second time a Konoha ninja had been late in this fight; taking advantage of the fact that Ryu had rushed to Ino's rescue, Hideki had moved to attack. He had also noticed a clear opening and had inflicted a serious injury; his sword had hit Ryu's chest, his heart. Kasumi closed her hand and tightened her grip. "RYU!!!" Naruto shouted. "Damn!" Kakashi thought. Hideki was very happy. He smiled and said: "Heh! That's two birds with one stone!"

All of a sudden, a few moments later, Hideki received an unexpected reply. "Is that all you can do? What were you expecting to hit?" those words were slowly uttered. "That's impossible! You're supposed to be dead!!" shouted the stunned Hideki. "Why? It's not like you hit anything; there's nothing there," replied the voice with a calm tone.

To everyone's surprise, Ryu was still alive. Apparently, he had no trouble moving either. He grabbed Hideki's sword with his left hand and began to pull it out. Although Hideki was pushing with both hands, he was overpowered by Ryu. "There it is again…That murderous drive…" Kakashi thought with worry filling his mind. As soon as the blade was out of his body, Ryu squeezed the blade which was broken in two. Hideki backed away. "What are you?" he asked somewhat frightened. "Don't know…Care to find out?" Ryu asked. Ryu who was carrying Ino was about to attack. It seemed he had become unaware that his wounded teammate was on his shoulder in a critical state. "Ryu! Snap out of it!! Naruto!! Sakura!! Retreat formation! Cover Ryu and make sure Ino gets back safely!" Kakashi shouted. Hideki announced they wouldn't let them get away so easily. Naruto told Ryu to run. He and Sakura would hold his pursuers back.

In order to make Ino more comfortable, Ryu had put her on his hands. He began his retreat. Naruto had generated over fifty clones. They stood in front of the enemies, blocking their path. "Useless," Kasumi said. She began to form seals again. "Doton! Spike Garden technique!!" Suddenly, several spikes emerged from beneath the ground. They were about a meter and a half long, very sharp and apparently very hard. The clones were instantly exterminated. Yagami ordered Hideki to follow them.

Kakashi intended to stand in Hideki's way in order to allow Ryu to retreat successfully. However, as he moved to intercept the enemy, several spikes blocked his path. Therefore, Hideki was able to pursue his target with ease. Kasumi and Yagami still stood in the original members of Team Kakashi's way. "Naruto! Sakura! Back Ryu up! I'll handle these two!" Kakashi said to his teammates. Sakura was still worried; they were two against one. She tried to convince him to let one of them help. However, before she could finish her sentence, Kakashi said "No. If Ryu's movement is impeded, Ino will be in serious trouble! She needs medical treatment fast and it's a two day journey to Konoha." "Besides, with a wound like that, I'm surprised Ryu can still move…" he thought.

Naruto and Sakura obeyed. Yagami tried to prevent them from retreating, but was easily pushed away by Kakashi. Kakashi announced he'd be his opponent. "You seem pretty confident despite the fact that you're outnumbered," said Yagami. "I still have a few trump cards up my sleeve," replied the self assured Kakashi. "Itachi sama, he also possesses a sharingan like yours…But no matter, I shall earn my place in Akatsuki by capturing the Jinchuuriki…And Ryu. I don't think you know about him but I'm sure he'll make a good gift," Kasumi thought.

Yagami charged at Kakashi and threw several shurikens at him. Kakashi moved, but Kasumi appeared behind him and kicked him. He moved again. As soon as Kasumi landed, she tried to trip Kakashi who jumped thus evading the hit. Yagami was above him. He threw several shurikens at Kakashi who did the same. Kakashi's weapons outnumbered Yagami's. Therefore, Yagami was hit by a few shurikens. However, Yagami began to melt and turned to sand. Kakashi noticed that it was Suna Bunshin no jutsu instantly. Kakashi landed on the ground, and two sand clones generated by Kasumi attacked him. He threw a kunai at the first one and dispatched the second one by destroying its head with a punch. Yagami attacked. He punched Kakashi who blocked with one hand and hit his opponent with his knee in the stomach. He then punched him away. Yagami hit a tree. As Kakashi charged to finish him off, he felt danger was nearby and jumped backwards. Several spikes emerged from the ground. It was Kasumi's technique. As soon as Kakashi stopped, he noticed Yagami had disappeared.

Suddenly, a hand went out of the ground and tried to grab him. The attack had succeeded. Kakashi's foot had been grabbed by Yagami who was underground. Kasumi threw several kunais at the immobilized Kakashi. He was hit right in the head. Kakashi fell down and Yagami joined Kasumi. However, Kakashi's corpse turned to several logs. It was Kawarimi no jutsu. "I wasn't expecting anything less from Hatake Kakashi," she said. "However, as annoying as it is, I have to admit that he is much stronger than I had anticipated. He still hasn't received a single hit even though we're two against one and he hasn't even used his Sharingan yet," she thought.

Kakashi had concealed himself somewhere nearby. He was well hidden and awaited the opportune moment to deliver a decisive hit. He began to gather the information he had acquired so far. "From what I've seen so far, the three we're dealing with are all adept Doton users. Moreover, their teamwork is quite impressive. However, I'm sure that not one of them is a member of Akatsuki; they're not strong enough. The one with brown hair seems to act like the leader of the group, but the girl is definitely stronger. Plus I think she's not revealing all of her powers. The one who is currently following Ryu can also use Katon techniques. If he catches up and Ryu gives up on retreating, Ino will probably…die," he thought. Yagami told Kakashi to show himself with a commanding tone. Kakashi came out from behind a tree, but did not attack. Kasumi ignored him. "It's just a clone. He thinks he can distract us with such an obvious technique?" Kasumi said to Yagami. "Yes, he didn't even bother to make him charge," Yagami replied.

As soon as Yagami completed his sentence, Kasumi was kicked. She was able to block, but she was still pushed back a little. Kakashi had pretended to be a clone in order to fool his enemies. Still, Kasumi had been able to stop his attack. This move had been inspired from Naruto's eccentric and unpredictable moves. Though it was a risky one, it had worked. After having his hit blocked, Kakashi thought it would be best to put some distance between him and his foes since he would be at a disadvantage in close combat because they were two. "Slowing the pace down I see," Yagami said to him. Kakashi told him there was no rush; he could take his time. "You think you're buying your team some time. However, the girl will die whether Hideki catches up or not," declared Kasumi who seemed sure of herself. Kakashi didn't believe her; it was probably a bluff. "What do you think we were doing patrolling an area around our temporary base? Why do you think we didn't notice your presence at first?" Yagami asked. "It's true that ninjas with their level would have detected us while we were resting," Kakashi thought. Yagami declared his plans to Kakashi. "I'll tell you the truth since it won't make a difference. We were here because we were filling the area with traps!!" he said with a big smile on his face.

"What?! Then Ryu and Ino…" Kakashi thought even more worried than before. "It seems you're finally beginning to understand that you're the one who's being kept here and not the other way around…" Kasumi explained. "Damn! They got me…And Ryu is retreating; he can't take his time to watch out for traps," Kakashi thought. "One more thing…" Yagami added. Since Kakashi thought things couldn't get any worst, he figured he should finish this fight quickly. However, Yagami proved him wrong by continuing his sentence, while still smiling. "The sword Hideki was carrying had…" he said, "Poison all over its blade!!"

Kakashi was shocked by Yagami's statement. "Meaning the girl won't live out the night…" Kasumi explained. "…And since it's at least a two day journey back to Konoha, a deadline your teammate can't beat with that wound of his, the girl will definitely die. So you see, no matter how you look at it, you have failed your team," Yagami continued. "The girl will definitely die. No. He doesn't know what Ryu is capable of. In addition the Kyubi boy is also there. So the girl has high chances of survival. But I'd better pretend to agree with Yagami. It should give us an advantage in the fight," Kasumi thought, without showing concern. "I may have to speed things up and use the Sharingan or even…Mangekyou Sharingan," Kakashi thought.

In the meantime, Ryu was retreating. He was moving straight towards Konoha as fast as possible. Suddenly, he tore a thin string that was in his way; he had not noticed it. He was showered by a rain of kunais, coming from above. There were too many. Ryu managed to evade most of the kunais, but he was hit in the left shoulder once, and twice in the back. However, he didn't stop. "I must keep my promise…" he thought. Another string was severed and Ryu felt danger coming from behind. He turned his head and saw shurikens coming at him. Strangely, they were easy to evade. When Ryu looked to the front, he realized why it had been so simple to dodge the previous attack; it was a decoy. Shurikens were coming at him from the front. There were over fifty, concentrated in a small area unlike the other traps. Ryu quickly understood that the purpose of the traps that had preceded this one was to lure him here. He didn't have enough time to escape. The first two shurikens hit Ino in the left leg and left shoulder.

To prevent Ino from being hit again, Ryu turned around thus becoming Ino's shield. He was hit several times in the back, and was forced to stop his retreat. Ryu put Ino under a tree, in order to remove the shurikens from his body. As he was taking the shurikens out of his body, he had a chance to rest. While he rested, Ryu noticed something he hadn't before due to all the commotion; it was a familiar scent and it was coming from Ino's body. "She's been poisoned…" he thought.

Ryu crouched next to Ino and began to think about what he could do. He also noticed that her condition had worsened because of the lack of treatment and because Ryu had been forced to move roughly. Despite the fact that he had tried to make her as comfortable as possible, he had remained unable to progress while moving Ino as one would have usually moved a person in her state.


	6. Where's Ryu?

**Chapter6: "Where's Ryu?!"**

"Damn!! We have to catch up to them! Otherwise, Ino'll be done for!!" Naruto said angrily as he moved towards his target. "Done for?!" Sakura thought. She had never considered the fact that Ino would die during a mission. Although they used to fight most of the time, they still liked each other deep down. The idea of her dying worried her even more.

As they were moving, Sakura noticed something on a tree branch. She stopped and told Naruto to follow her. Blood. There was blood on the branch. The scattered blood formed a path. They concluded it would most likely lead them to Ryu and Ino. They didn't know that Ino had been wounded twice after the battle. The blood that Sakura had found was most likely hers. Ryu was still crouching next to Ino's body when he became aware of Hideki's presence. "I know you're here," he said to let Hideki know that he had detected him. Hideki emerged from beneath the ground. "Even though you're wounded and tired, you still noticed that I was sneaking up on you. Impressive. Don't expect me to let you run away," Hideki said and smiled.

Hideki charged. He threw eight kunais at Ryu. Ryu used his only kunai to block the incoming weapons. Hideki smiled and shouted "Too late!!" He appeared behind Ryu and hit him with his knee on the chin. While Ryu was flying away, Hideki used Housenka no jutsu for the third time. Before the scattered flames could reach him, Ryu recovered, landed on his feet and jumped away. Though he had moved quickly, severe burns had still been inflicted on his right arm. Hideki jumped and was about to kick Ryu who rolled to the left and kicked him on the face. The sand clone was eliminated and the real Hideki jumped out of the ground, hitting Ryu with an uppercut. Ryu fell in front of Ino. "You may have survived my sword attack, but I see you have been significantly weakened. But there is something that's bothering me; you should also be poisoned considering the fact that I stabbed you with my sword. So why aren't you?" Hideki asked.

Ryu didn't answer. Hideki said it didn't matter. He also announced he'd kill Ryu and Ino which was referred to as "the girl." Ryu grabbed his heart and stood up with difficulty. Hideki was impressed that he could still move. Ino coughed some blood out of her mouth. Ryu looked at her then looked at Hideki. His hand was still on his heart. "She's gonna…" he thought, realizing Ino wouldn't last much longer. "Let's get this over with already," said Hideki. "I suggest you run away…I won't spare you…" Ryu replied slowly and calmly while looking down. Hideki smiled and said "Good one! A bluff like that wouldn't work on an academy ninja! Look at you! You can barely stand!!" Hideki ran towards Ryu who stayed immobile and still looked down. The time for the final attack had come.

Yagami jumped and tried to hit Kakashi with a kunai. Kakashi ducked to dodge the hit and rolled to avoid Kasumi's incoming kick. He stood up and punched Yagami on the head. Suddenly, Kasumi felt something strange. She ran towards Kakashi who stood ready to defend himself. However, she didn't attack. She simply jumped over him and abandoned Yagami. She was going in the direction Naruto and Sakura had taken. Yagami charged. Kakashi appeared in front of him and punched him in the face. He then appeared behind Yagami and kicked him in the back. As soon as Yagami landed on his knee, he received an uppercut that sent him through a tree. "It's time to end this…" Kakashi thought.

Kakashi unveiled his Sharingan. Naruto and Sakura were still following the bloody path they had found when they were intercepted by Kasumi. She made her presence known by sending a number of kunais at them. Naruto and Sakura moved away from the attack and stopped their pursuit. "I don't want to hurt you. So just give in quietly," she said to Naruto. "I'll never give up!! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!!" was Naruto's reply. Suddenly, Kasumi found herself surrounded by over fifty clones. They began to charge one by one at Kasumi who started to destroy the attacking clones with ease. However, defeating her was not the objective; Naruto and Sakura had taken advantage of the distraction to continue their search. Sakura praised Naruto for his smart strategy. He thanked her. "We're already halfway to Konoha and we still haven't bumped into Ryu and Ino!!" she said while smiling. She was relieved. "Yeah! Which means that they're probably gonna reach Konoha in less than a day! So Ino's probably gonna make it!!" Naruto continued. As the two shinobis conversed, they spotted something that wiped the smiles right off their faces.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was still prevailing over his enemy. His Sharingan had granted him an enormous advantage; already untouched before uncovering his Sharingan, it had allowed him to completely dominate the battle, crushing Yagami. Shortly after using his Sharingan, he cornered the wounded and exhausted Yagami. Kakashi formed a few seals. "It's over," he said, "Chidori!!" Kakashi grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and a large concentration of chakra appeared in his right hand. A Raiton attack; Chidori. Named that way because the sound it generates is similar to that of a thousand birds. The chakra in Kakashi's hand had the shape of blue lightning bolts. Yagami was still unable to believe he had been defeated. Kakashi moved with great speed towards his opponent. His attack easily pierced his target's chest. Kakashi pulled his hand out of Yagami, and covered his Sharingan with his forehead protector. Yagami fell face down. It was, as Kakashi had announced, over. With no time to spare, he moved to catch up to his comrades.

At that time, Naruto and Sakura had found quite an upsetting sight. "That bastard!!" Naruto said angrily. "I can't believe he'd do something like that!" said the surprised Sakura. "Not me!! I knew he was going to do it!!" continued the angry Naruto. At the end of the trail of blood, they had found Ino lying on the ground, under a tree. She was alone and Ryu was nowhere to be seen. It was clear to Naruto and Sakura that he had abandoned her.

Naruto carried her and continued his way back to Konoha. A short while later, Kakashi joined the two and asked them about Ryu. For some reason, he had not encountered Kasumi. "I can't believe he abandoned her like that! I'll kill him once we get back," said the still angry Naruto. "If he gets back," Kakashi corrected him. Sakura asked what Kakashi meant by that. Her sensei explained. "It is likely that he encountered the enemy and was defeated," he said. "In other words…" Sakura continued. "…He's already dead," were Kakashi's last words.

Kakashi carried Ino so that Naruto could rest. By nightfall, they reached the village, exhausted. However, they had no time to rest; they had to get Ino to the hospital for emergency treatment. As they rushed to the hospital, they found medical ninjas already expecting them. The guards at the village gate had sent news of the situation upon the arrival of Team Kakashi. They entered the hospital. Ino was on a stretcher. She was being taken to one of the many emergency rooms where Tsunade was going to personally conduct the poison removal operation. She was also going to treat the deep wound she had received during the fight. Ino's teammates, Choji and Shikamaru, were waiting too. When the medical ninjas reached the third emergency room, Shikamaru and Choji had no time to see her. However, they met with Team Kakashi.

Shikamaru who was very worried asked what had happened. "That damn Ryu abandoned her while she was wounded!!" Naruto replied furiously. Choji was also worried. He asked whether she was going to be alright. Sakura provided some comfort by reassuring him that Tsunade would definitely save her. Kakashi agreed since Tsunade's medical skills were unmatched.

After a few hours, during which the five waited outside the emergency room, Tsunade came out. She looked very tired. As soon as they saw her, the children all rushed to see how Ino was doing. She told them not to worry. "She's out of harm's way. I've completely extracted the poison and her wound is healing. She'll need to rest in the hospital for a few days," she said. She looked at the children and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Ryu?" she asked. "That bastard still hasn't come back!!" Naruto said angrily. He explained what had happened and said "I can't wait to get my hands on him…" To his surprise, Tsunade ordered Team Kakashi to go look for him right away. "There's no way I'm gonna go look for that…" said the grumpy Naruto. Kakashi interrupted him and reminded him that no matter what Ryu had done, he was still a comrade. "Yeah, yeah," Naruto replied as if he disagreed.

The three left their village once more to look for their missing teammate. They searched until dawn, but in vain; there was no sign of Ryu. Team Kakashi returned to Konoha where they were greeted by Kotetsu and Izumo two ninjas who were at the village gate. "You're back. You had us worried Kakashi," Kotetsu said. "Yeah. Did you find what you were looking for?" Izumo continued. "No. We were out of luck. Too bad…" Kakashi replied. Kotetsu told him they had more important things to worry about. The three didn't understand what he was talking about. "You teammate; he came back late last night…" Izumo explained. "Ryu?" Sakura asked, surprised. "Yeah. He looked in a pretty bad shape," replied Kotetsu. Kakashi asked what he meant with "bad shape." "The poor kid was wounded everywhere. His body was filled with shurikens and kunais," Izumo clarified. "So he survived after all…Genin my eye," Kakashi thought. "We offered to help him reach the hospital, but he said he didn't need our help and that he was okay. Still, I think you should go see him," Izumo continued. "Serves him right!! After abandoning Ino like that!" Naruto said angrily. However, Kakashi told him that was no way to talk about his teammates. Sakura thought Kakashi was right. However, she couldn't help but agree with Naruto; Ryu had left Ino to die. Had they not found her, she would've died. "You told us that those who abandon their companions are worst than trash, remember Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked. "I still don't think he abandoned her. Godaime wouldn't have assigned him to our team if he was that kind of ninja…" Kakashi thought. He told the children they should still go see him "Alright. But only because I want to see when he'll recover so I can beat the crap out of him!" Naruto declared.

When they asked about Ryu at the hospital, they received a surprising answer from the nurse: no one fitting Ryu's description or carrying that name had checked in. Moreover, the last person that had been treated was Ino. "According to Kotetsu and Izumo, Ryu came back after we left, in other words, after Ino's treatment. Therefore, he didn't come here for sure. But where is…" Kakashi's line of though was interrupted by Shikamaru who asked what they were doing in the hospital. Sakura explained. She asked whether they were here for Ino. "Yeah we wanted to stay with her yesterday, but we figured it would be better to let her rest first," Choji replied. He said they were going to see her when they bumped into them. Naruto announced they'd tag along

The five headed for Ino's room. Tsunade and Jiraya were already there. When the five walked in, Ino was awake. Sakura was the first to run to her side. "Ino!! Are you alright?" she asked worriedly. "I'm fine. Thanks to you guys and Godaime," she replied. She looked around, but noticed that Ryu wasn't there. "Where's Ryu? I want to thank him too," she said. "Don't bother! He abandoned you!" Naruto said still angry about the matter.

They talked for a while. After everyone had checked up on Ino, Tsunade asked to speak with Team Kakashi. "I wanted to congratulate you on the successful rescue. Thanks to you, there were no friendly casualties…Especially you Sakura," Tsunade said happily. "Me? What did I do?" Sakura inquired. "I honestly don't understand why you were so worried. I mean since you had already used your medical Ninjutsu on Ino to nullify the poison's lethal effects, and stopped the bleeding, Ino wasn't in any danger. However, I noticed that your medical techniques are usually better…These were like a beginner's techniques…" she explained. "Medical Ninjutsu?! What is she talking about?!" Sakura though, very surprised. "…But that's understandable since you must've been in a hurry…" Tsunade continued. "But Tsunade sama!" Sakura tried to interrupt. Tsunade stopped and asked what was it she wanted. "I didn't use medical Ninjutsu on Ino!! When Naruto and I found her, we had no time; we headed straight for Konoha!" Sakura explained. "If it wasn't you then who was it?" Tsunade asked. "Looks like I was right after all…" Kakashi said calmly. Naruto asked what he was talking about. Jiraya enlightened the matter. "It seems there's more to this new genin than meets the eye," he said "You don't think that…" Sakura began. "Who else? It can only be Ryu," Kakashi declared.

"Oh good. You reminded me; how did the search go?" Tsunade inquired. "We didn't find him. However, Kotetsu and Izumo saw him entering the village after we left. They said he was greatly injured," Kakashi replied. "What?! Why isn't he here then?" Tsunade asked, surprised. "I don't know. We'll go look for him since he's part of our team. Besides, these two owe him a big apology," Kakashi announced. Naruto tried to get out of it by saying they were really tired. Before he could continue, Tsunade said "No "buts"!!" angrily. "I wonder where he could be…" said Sakura.

Meanwhile, Ryu was sitting on a big rock. He was in a forest nearby and had removed the weapons from his body. Kunais, shurikens and blood surrounded the rock. At that time, two kunais collided, announcing the end of a long fight. A voice could be heard saying "not bad…" while another person uttered the words "you've improved…Itachi."


End file.
